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It Happening One Night
It Happening One Night is the sixth episode of Season 6 and the overall sixty-ninth episode of The Venture Bros. Plot The episode begins with an introduction of The Doom Factory, a loosely-connected collective of ten super-villain / artistes, who are sycophantic followers of the evil genius Wes Warhammer. The Ventures receive an artsy threat videotape in a Warholesque box marked "Doom." Dr. Mrs. The Monarch tries to convince The Council of 13 that the Blue Morpho is in fact Dr. Venture, and that he is killing off villains, but they do not believe her. Hank Venture goes on his date with Sirena Ong, which begins in the park where Pete White "robs" them in disguise. Hank "saves" Sirena by dancing like Michael Jackson in the "Bad" video and she asks for the knife Hank has taken off White. They then find Dean Venture, posing as a bongo-playing beatnik. Deana asks if it's ok step in on bass and Dean naturally accepts. Hank sings to Sirena, but as Hank is playing the song he looks up to see that she has walked away. When he finds her, Sirena is digging out the homing chip her dad put in her arm with the knife from the fake robbery. Meanwhile, Brock Samson tries to lock down the Venture Industries building because of the impending Doom Factory level 10 arch. Shortly after Brock leaves, Eeenie-Meanie drugs Sergeant Hatred (clearly just out of the hospital) who then passes out. By this time Brock has found the abandoned hover car in the park (by following Hank's homing signal), he runs into Rocco, who has reached the same spot by homing in on Sirena's chip, which is lying on the seat of the car next to the bloody knife. Rocco assumes someone has taken Sirena and violently removed the chip from her arm to keep anyone from tracking her. Because Brock is there, Rocco assumes he had something to do with the abduction and the two brawl until exhaustion. Back at The Monarch's, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, The Monarch darts his wife with a Blue Morpho dart while she is dressed up like Mae. While his wife is tranquilized, The Monarch plays Blue Morpho with Henchman 21 (Kano). They go to the lair of the Doom Factory using the Morpho water scooters. At the park, Brock and Rocco stop fighting after reaching exhaustion as well as a mutual respect. Rocco suggests they collaborate to find the missing teens, who have gone to Yumi, a ninja-themed restaurant where the Brown Widow (Jared) works. Through their interactions, Hank realizes that Sirena and Brown Widow used to date. Hank becomes sullen, which Sirena attributes to jealousy. Hank tells Sirena he is actually concerned she is using Hank to irritate her father. She states that she knows Hank staged a number of episodes that evening to impress her and that she is flattered he would go to such lengths for her. Brock and Rocco arrive at the restaurant where they see waitstaff dressed as ninjas on a smoke break. Both Rocco and Brock take this to mean ninjas have abducted Hank and Sirena. The two storm the restaurant until they encounter Brown Widow who tells them they are merely in a family friendly themed restaurant. Brown Widow goes to show Brock and Rocco where the two teens are dining, but their table is empty. Brock finds Dean posing as paparazzi in the alleyway and learns that Hank and Sirena fled the area. Brock tracks his tracer on Hank to the ocean where he is swimming with Sirena. Sirena dunks Hank to hide from Brock and Rocco. Underwater, they share a kiss. Meanwhile, the Doom Factory has taken over the Venture apartment. Dr. Venture walks in to find pseudo-Velvet Underground music playing while Frigid sorts pills on the table. Psychedelic lights are flashing, there are Warholesque silkscreens of Dr. Venture on the wall. When Dr. Venture finally realizes that he is being arched, he runs upstairs to the panic room, where he finds Wes Warhammer and Black Maria filming Trashenstein. They start making a movie of Dr. Venture, who ends up in his underpants, but it turns out to be a distraction while the Doom Factory make off with Dr. Venture's science equipment. However, By the time Dr. Venture realizes this, his home has become a large Happening, full of villains. Meanwhile, The Monarch and Henchman 21 have infiltrated Warhammer's base and are placing grenades belonging to the Blue Morpho, rigging the base to explode. The Monarch, going for the cool look of an explosion as they jump ship, decides to ignite them immediately. 21 tries to stop him, but his words fall on deaf ears as the Monarch presses the detonator and they quickly flee. Only 21 manages to escape however, as the Monarch's coat gets stuck but luckily the grenades are seemingly duds. But before 21 can get the Monarch down, the Doom Factory base suddenly separates itself from its pedestal, and it flies off with the Monarch still stuck, as he and 21 call out "Dude!!" to one another. The scene shifts back to where Hank and Sirena swimming, when they hear Brock and Rocco approaching, causing them to dive underwater. Sirena kisses Hank, at the same time giving him a massive fireball, mouth-to-mouth to help him breathe. Back at the Venture apartment, the Doom Factory is emptying the place of its science stuff as Dr. Venture protests, They all get on board their base and then fly off, which causes the Monarch's coat to come free, and he falls to the ground in front of Dr. Venture. As he rises as greets Dr. venture, the detonator for the seemingly useless grenades falls out of his picket and triggers, and the Doom Factory base ship explodes killing the villains. The Monarch remarks how cool the explosion looks. Elsewhere, Hank and Sirena are still kissing as the explosion occurs. It is also revealed Brock and Rocco have found them and are taking them back to their respective homes while the two gaze at each other. The next morning, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch wakes up from the tranquilizers, and her husband pretends to have been drugged by The Blue Morpho as well. The two are soon contacted by Phantom Limb who, after apologizing for not believing the councilwoman earlier, asks what she thinks the Guild should do about The Blue Morpho, whom they believe to be Dr. Venture. Episode Cast * [[wikipedia:James_Urbaniak|'James Urbaniak']]: Dr. Venture, Phantom Limb, Serpentine * [[wikipedia:Patrick_Warburton|'Patrick Warburton']]: Brock Samson * [[wikipedia:Michael_Sinterniklaas|'Mike Sinterniklaas']]: Dean Venture, Ninja Waiter 2 * [[Chris McCulloch|'Chris McCulloch']]: Hank Venture, The Monarch, Sgt. Hatred, Pete White, Wes Warhammer, Narrator * [[Doc Hammer|'Doc Hammer']]: Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Henchman 21, Billy Quizboy * [[wikipedia:Cristin_Milioti|'Cristin Milioti']]: Sirena * Mark Gagliardi: Rocco, Black Maria, Ninja Waiter 1 * [[wikipedia:Nathan_Fillion|'Nathan Fillion']]: Brown Widow * [[wikipedia:Kate_McKinnon|'Kate McKinnon']]: Eenie-Meanie First Appearances * Billy Maim * Black Maria * Blood on My Hands, Grief in My Heart (book) * Eenie-Meanie * Frigid * Gerard the Gorilla * Hard Candy * Justin (waiter) * Serpentine * She-Hemoth * The Doom Factory (flying headquarters) * Trashenstein * Ultra-Violent * Wes Warhammer * Yumi (restaurant) "Happening" Attendees Guest of Honor * Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture The Doom Factory * Wes Warhammer * Frigid *Serpentine *Eenie-Meanie *Gerard the Gorilla *Black Maria *Trashenstein *Ultra-Violent *She-Hemoth *Billy Maim *Hard Candy Guild Members * Alien Villain * Auntie Matter * Brick Frog * Dot Com * Flying Squid * Iron Anvil * Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Nightmare Coat * Mentalist Villain With Purple Cape * Plug Face Guy * Scare Bear * Storm Front * The Egoist * Unicornelius * Unnamed Magician Villain With Hazmat Hat * Unnamed Villain with Clover Eyepatch * Vain Gloria * Vespertina Connections to Other Episodes [[Bright Lights, Dean City|''Bright Lights, Dean City]] * The psychotic, knife-wielding Scare Bear from [[Bright Lights, Dean City|''Bright Lights, Dean City]] can be spotted at the party being hosted by the Doom Factory. [[Spanakopita!|''Spanakopita!]] * Hank tries to make up the excuse that "albinos may in fact have deep pack instincts" to explain why he and Sirena supposedly encountered four different ones on their date (they were all actually just Pete White wearing different costumes). As shown in ''Spanakopita!, albinos actually do adhere to an "albino code," a loyalty which supersedes all others. [[Maybe No Go|''Maybe No Go]] * Hatred mentions the floor of VenTech Tower has finally been fixed, after it was destroyed by Wide Wale's invasion in [[Maybe No Go|''Maybe No Go]]. [[Faking Miracles|''Faking Miracles]] *Hank goes on a date with Sirena, whom he asked out in [[Faking Miracles|''Faking Miracles]]. *Dragoon's head is back to normal size after being shrunk by Redusa in ''Faking Miracles'', further indicating that the effect is either temporary or reversible. [[Rapacity in Blue|''Rapacity in Blue]] *Sergeant Hatred has been released from the hospital after being attacked by Haranguetan in [[Rapacity in Blue|''Rapacity in Blue]]. *Dr. Venture mentions his encounter with The Blue Morpho (The Monarch) in ''Rapacity in Blue''. *Henchman 21 exhibits signs of guilt and PTSD after inadvertently killing Haranguetan in ''Rapacity in Blue''. **He attempts to cope by reading the book Blood on My Hands, Grief in My Heart, which Rocco also recommends to Brock Samson. [[Tanks for Nuthin'|''Tanks for Nuthin]] *Dr. Mrs. The Monarch tells the other members of The Council of 13 that she thinks Dr. Venture is The Blue Morpho, which she comes to believe in the previous episode. Cultural References [[wikipedia:Andy_Warhol|'''Andy Warhol]] * Wes Warhammer is a parody mashup of Andy Warhol and DC Comics supervillain Lex Luthor, leader of the Legion of Doom. * The box labeled "Doom!" shipped to VenTech Tower is based on Andy Warhol's famous series of ''Brillo Boxes'' sculptures. * The Doom Factory takes their name from Andy Warhol's famed New York City art studio, The Factory. * The group of artists that Andy Warhol assembled around him were known as Warhol superstars, and many of their works are referenced in this episode (such as covering a room with silver foil and paint). * The Doom Factory installs a payphone in the penthouse of VenTech Tower, a reference to the payphone inside The Factory. [[wikipedia:Bull_Durham|''Bull Durham]]' (1988)' * Hank's speech about what he believes in is almost entirely a line-by-line riff on the speech that Kevin Costner delivers to Susan Sarandon in the film [[wikipedia:Bull_Durham|''Bull Durham]]'' (1988). [[wikipedia:Challenge_of_the_Super_Friends|Challenge of the Superfriends]]' (1978)' * The Doom Factory (and their submerged fortress) are inspired by the Legion of Doom, a team of supervillains from the [[wikipedia:Challenge_of_the_Super_Friends|''Challenge of the Superfriends]] cartoon show. [[wikipedia:Factory Girl (film)|''Factory Girl]]' (2006)' * The line "You're the boss, Applesauce" is from Guy Pearce's depiction of Andy Warhol in the 2006 film ''Factory Girl. [[wikipedia:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)|''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]' (1998)' * When Dr. Venture encounters a partygoer dressed in an outfit identical to his own, the two look each other up and down, mirroring a similar scene in the 1998 film [[wikipedia:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)|''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]], where author Hunter S. Thompson and actor Johnny Depp, playing a character based on Hunter S. Thompson, meet each other in a nightclub. [[wikipedia:Flesh_for_Frankenstein|''Flesh for Frankenstein]]' ''(1973)' * Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey collaborated to create the film ''Flesh for Frankenstein'', in which actor Joe Dalessandro played Frankenstein's monster. [[wikipedia:Gowanus Canal|'Gowanus Canal']] * The Monarch runs over a rotting dolphin corpse floating in the heavily polluted Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Injured aquatic mammals occasionally become trapped in the canal, with a sickly middle-aged dolphin famously dying in the canal in 2013. * Henchman 21 says he doesn't even want to tell The Monarch what is in the water of the Gowanus Canal. Known contaminants in the canal include PAHs, VOCs, PCBs, pesticides, metals, syphilis, and gonorrhea. [[wikipedia:I Shot Andy Warhol|''I Shot Andy Warhol]]' (1996)' * The scene in the panic room where Wes Warhammer has Dr. Venture take off his shirt while Black Maria films him is a reference to a similar scene in the 1996 film [[wikipedia:I Shot Andy Warhol|''I Shot Andy Warhol]].'' * Serpentine's looks, mannerisms, and speech are heavily modeled on Michael Imperioli's portrayal of Ondine in [[wikipedia:I Shot Andy Warhol|''I Shot Andy Warhol]].'' [[wikipedia:It_Happened_One_Night|It Happened One Night]]' ''(1934)' * The title It Happening One Night is derived from the title of the film ''It Happened One Night'''' (1934), combined with a reference to Andy Warhol's practice of referring to his art installations as "happenings". [[wikipedia:Li%27l_Abner|Li'l Abner]] * Dr. Mrs. The Monarch's "farmer's daughter" costume is highly reminiscent of the character Daisy Mae from the long-running newspaper comic strip [[wikipedia:Li%27l_Abner|''Li'l Abner]]. [[wikipedia:Michael_Jackson|'Michael Jackson']] * The outfit that Hank wears on his date is similar to what Michael Jackson wore on the cover of the album ''Bad'' (and also the music video for the album's title song), prompting Sirena to ask "Is that the 'Bad' outfit?" [http://www.ninjanewyork.com Ninja New York] * Yumi, the ninja-themed restaurant where Jared (Brown Widow) works, is based on the actual ninja-themed restaurant Ninja New York. [[wikipedia:Paul_Morrissey|'Paul Morrissey']] * The camera-headed villain Black Maria represents both Paul Morrissey, a regular filmmaking collaborator and cinematographer for Warhol's films, as well as Warhol's extensive camera collection, including his iconic Polaroid Polavision film camera. [[wikipedia:Raiders of the Lost Ark|'Raiders of the Lost Ark']]' (1981)' * When they arrive at Yumi, the ninja restaurant, Brock moans "Ninjas. Why'd it have to be ninjas?" This is a paraphrase of Indiana Jones' famous quote from the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark: "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes? [[wikipedia:Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots|'Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots']] * Rocco references the 1964 toy/game Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots when he refers to fighting with Brock Samson as "playing Rock 'Em Brock 'Em Robots". [[wikipedia:Team_Fortress_2|'Team Fortress 2']] (2007) * The video game that Sergeant Hatred and Rusty are playing is Team Fortress 2, which features certain items and hats referencing the show and others from adult swim shows. [[wikipedia:Edison%27s_Black_Maria|'The Black Maria']] * The Black Maria was the name of Thomas Edison's film studio, the first production studio in America. [[wikipedia:The Doors (film)|''The Doors]]' (1991)' * The scene where Wes Warhammer gives Dr. Venture back his communicator watch after spray painting it gold is a parody of the "Golden Telephone" scene from the 1991 film [[wikipedia:The Doors (film)|''The Doors]]. Based on an apocryphal real life encounter, Andy Warhol (Crispin Glover) gives Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer) a gold telephone as a gift in the film. [[wikipedia:The_Velvet_Underground|'The Velvet Underground']] * The music playing in VenTech Tower when the Doom Factory begin their "Happening" is a soundalike of The Velvet Underground's song ''Femme Fatale'' (1966). * At producer Andy Warhol's request, Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed wrote the song ''Femme Fatale'' about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. Edie was the inspiration for the Doom Factory character Eenie-Meanie. [[wikipedia:Trading_Places|''Trading Places]]' (1983)' * Billy's legless beggar disguise is based on Eddie Murphy's costume from early in the film [[wikipedia:Trading_Places|''Trading Places]]. [[wikipedia:Trash_(1970_film)|''Trash]]' (1970)' * Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey collaborated to create the film [[wikipedia:Trash_(1970_film)|''Trash]], in which actor Joe Dalessandro wore a headband like the one worn by Trashenstein of the Doom Factory. [[wikipedia:Troy (film)|'Troy']]' (2004)' * After their fight, Rocco asks Brock Samson where he "learned that jump thing". Brock tells him "Achilles in Troy", to which Rocco responds "Ah, the Pitt-ster. Nice. It's a totally underrated movie." Brad Pitt starred as Achilles in the 2004 film. [[wikipedia:Warhol_superstars|'Warhol superstars']] *The members of The Doom Factory are all based on Warhol superstars and Factory hangers-on combined with supervillains from DC Comics. **[[Wes Warhammer|'Wes Warhammer']]: Andy Warhol / Lex Luthor **[[Frigid|'Frigid']]: Brigid Berlin / Captain Cold **[[Serpentine|'Serpentine']]:' Ondine / The Riddler **[[Eenie-Meanie|'Eenie-Meanie]]: Edie Sedgwick / Bumblebee **'Gerard the Gorilla': Gerard Malanga / Gorilla Grodd **[[Black Maria|'Black Maria']]: Paul Morrissey / Black Manta **[[Trashenstein|'Trashenstein']]: Joe Dalessandro / Solomon Grundy **[[Ultra-Violent|'Ultra-Violent']]: Ultra Violet / Star Sapphire **[[She-Hemoth|'She-Hemoth']]: Holly Woodlawn / Giganta **[[Billy Maim|'Billy Maim']]: Billy Name / Cheetah **[[Hard Candy|'Hard Candy']]: Candy Darling / Bizarro [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yumi Yumi]' (弓)' * The symbol (弓) on the door of the ninja-themed restaurant Yumi is an archaic kanji for "yumi", a type of traditional archery bow or a prefix referring to something being bow-shaped. Production Notes *The Animation Direction Supervisor (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For It Happening One Night the credit reads Kimson "Dead Dolphin Juice" Albert. Trivia *It is revealed that Brown Widow and Sirena Ong used to date. **Brown Widow is also addressed by Sirena and one of his co-workers as "Jared", indicating that this is his real name. *Wes Warhammer and The Doom Factory were featured in the April issue of Modern Enemy Monthly magazine. *Hank Venture has drawn a heart pierced with an arrow and written "HV + SO" in chalk on his bedroom blackboard, indicating his romantic feelings for Sirena Ong. *Jackson Publick did uncredited voices for Frigid and Gerard the Gorilla. Doc Hammer did the grunt for Trashenstein.Jackson Publick, Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros. (2018), p. 312-313 *According to Jackson Publick on the creator commentary, an early draft of the script contained an extended subplot about Scare Bear as Wes Warhammer's former muse who had been abandoned by Warhammer for Eenie-Meanie, parodying Andy Warhol's tendency to discover and fully exploit his "Superstars" before ultimately discarding them. References Category:Episodes Category:The Venture Bros. episodes Category:Season 6 Category:2016 television episodes